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When the warm weather arrives, we find ourselves surveying the exterior of our home. The last of the fall leaves need raking. New soil is bought for the flower beds. Under the warm light of the sun, we can stand back a really get a look at the condition of the front our house.

Paint can fade and become brittle with age. The final stages of its life it begins to peel. Some homes have been scraped and painted so many times that the pillars and fascia appear to take on an alligator hide texture.

Look at the condition of the woodwork. Cracked boards that cannot be repaired may need a carpenter to replace them. Living in a city like Toronto means lots of air pollution, mostly from cars which settles on your house. If you have just purchased a new home, even if the paint is in good condition, you may want to repaint it to your personal taste.

The first step is to choose a good colour. Unless you have an old Victorian home with lots of gingerbread wood trim, a single colour is the best choice. A good interior designer can help with this. Some paint stores also have in-house designers to assist in colour selection.

Once you have chosen your colour, the proper prep work on the outside begins. I start by hand washing the woodwork with T.S.P. and water with a scrub brush. This removes any environmental pollutants from the surface. If there is any exposed wood from peeled off paint, I give it a couple of days to dry.

Remember, the best time to paint is once the daytime temperatures have reached the twenties. When I return a few days later, I bring any wood with me that I might need for replace old, broken or rotten trim.

Most people tend to leave painting far too long in between coats. It has broken down so much that a coat of primer over the entire surface - not just spot priming - is necessary. I will often tint the primer to the same colour as the finish coat.

Now the repairs are finished. Old nails are removed and holes filled. It has been washed and fresh coat of primer. All that remains is to paint. When you want to paint the final coats try to pick a warm sunny day. This will make sure your paint cures properly. Paint away from the sun on a shady side.

I move around the house away from the sun. Painting in the sun makes it dry too fast and weakens the cure. Two coats are optimal because the second coat will cover anything the first coat missed.

As you can see, painting the exterior of your house involves a lot more than meets the eye.

If you are considering having the exterior of your house painted, click here to request an estimate.